3 Tips for Healthy Living
- Bobby Maximus
- April 22, 2023
This article contains opinions from Bobby Maximus, a leading authority on men’s health and fitness. Please consult your doctor for best practices for your health and body type.
Introduction
We all enjoy indulging. We enjoy rich food, delicious desserts, and a good cocktail. That said, we need to have balance. We need to prioritize health and wellness.
Why?
Because being healthy allows us to enjoy our lives more, gives us more energy, helps us achieve our goals, and gives us a more fulfilling existence. But, unfortunately, the teachings are that we can’t indulge and have a healthy diet and that those things don’t go hand in hand. But that isn’t necessarily true.
Here are three simple rules that will allow you to indulge while paying attention to health and wellness.
Rule # 1 - Eat Real Food
Food today isn’t real food. It’s genetically modified, filled with preservatives and chemicals, and injected with hormones. The bread you eat today isn’t the same as the bread people ate 200 years ago. The milk you drink isn’t the same. If there were only one rule I could tell people to follow, it would be to eat real food. Look at ingredients and make choices.
Ask yourself one simple question: why would you go and put junk fuel into your brand-new sports car? Keep your engine clean to perform well, especially when it counts. You should read labels, avoid chemicals, and buy organic when possible. This advice also goes for what you drink. Don’t drink alcohol that uses artificial flavors.
As an example, take cinnamon whiskey. Most brands use chemicals as a flavoring. Some brands even contain propylene glycol (antifreeze). Let me clarify this: Cinnamon Whiskey should have two ingredients: Whiskey & Cinnamon. I’m not asking you to suffer here. I am asking you to eat and drink the best—the food found at high-end restaurants, made with the best ingredients.
Rule # 2 - Eat More Protein
Protein is a building block. You need it for numerous bodily functions. Make sure you eat enough good-quality protein. You can’t do without it. In addition, it’s usually the least processed of all foods. Eating a steak is much more natural than eating a pizza or a bowl of spaghetti. It also contains the minerals and nutrients you need to keep your body strong, healthy, and energetic.
Now are there some “meat” choices that aren’t the greatest? Sure. I won’t sit here and tell you that chicken wings are the healthiest food in the world. At the same time, though, I would rather you eat wings than a bowl of chips. So next time you eat, think “protein” forward. Before you eat the pancakes, choose the eggs. Before you choose the bread, eat the chicken.
Rule # 3 - Allow yourself the freedom to enjoy and be flexible
The more restrictive the diet, the harder someone eventually falls off the wagon. Weighing, measuring, and only eating certain types of food you dislike, or eliminating food you love, will only lead to eventual failure. People will follow diets religiously for months, and when they do come off of them, they have no self-control left, eat everything in sight, and end up in worse shape than when they started.
I don’t think you need to restrict yourself to have a good diet completely. You should feel free to enjoy the odd drink, dessert, or other food. It all comes down to accountability and how badly you want to achieve your goals. I’m not giving you a free license to eat whatever you want here. Remember, your talk should be consistent with your actions. All I am saying is that you should have the freedom once in a while to indulge or eat something that you enjoy. Who wants to be miserable?
Some will assign a day of the week where they have a cheat day, others will have a favorite cheat meal they will eat when they have earned it, and others will just indulge when an opportunity to eat excellent food comes. Just manage yourself. You know what the right thing to do is. Moderation is the key when it comes to diet.
Summary
That’s it. Nothing revolutionary or complicated, just straightforward, honest advice. So train hard, eat, and enjoy. By the way, also enjoy a good cocktail for me. It’s one of my favorite things.
